YouTube Music tests fullscreen cover art bringing a more immersive Now Playing experience
YouTube Music is experimenting with a redesigned Now Playing screen that puts album artwork front and centre, bringing the app closer to the visual listening experiences already found on Spotify and Apple Music.
As streaming platforms continue to make music discovery more visual, YouTube Music is testing a refreshed Now Playing interface with fullscreen album artwork.
The update is still in testing, but it could give artists another reason to think carefully about how their cover art looks across streaming platforms.
YouTube Music’s new fullscreen artwork redesign
As reported by 9to5Google, YouTube Music is experimenting with a redesigned Now Playing screen that replaces the existing square album artwork with a fullscreen portrait-style display.
Instead of sitting between the audio/video toggle and track information, cover art now fills almost the entire screen, extending behind the status and navigation bars. The playback controls remain overlaid on top, while the action buttons become more transparent to keep the artwork as the focal point.
Meanwhile, the update also removes the artwork-inspired colour theming previously used throughout the Now Playing screen, creating a cleaner, more minimal interface.
The redesign also appears to apply when watching music videos, with portrait video filling the display in a way that’s reminiscent of Shorts.
At the time of writing, the redesign is only being tested and hasn’t been rolled out widely.
A familiar move for music streaming
The new look brings YouTube Music closer to the immersive playback experiences offered by other streaming services.
Spotify has continued expanding visual features through Canvas and fullscreen video experiences, while Apple Music has recently introduced animated album artwork across its Now Playing screen and Lock Screen.
Early reactions from Reddit users have also drawn comparisons, with some describing the redesign as feeling similar to Spotify while offering a smoother overall experience. Others have noted that static album artwork currently fills the screen, while music videos and visualisers continue to play in fullscreen, rather than introducing animated artwork.
Rather than simply modernising the interface, the update reflects a wider shift across streaming services towards making music a more visual experience.
Why it matters for independent artists
Although this update doesn’t change how music is distributed or discovered, it does make one thing even more noticeable: your artwork.
With album covers taking up significantly more screen space, high-quality artwork becomes an even bigger part of the listening experience. Strong visuals can reinforce your branding, make releases feel more professional, and help leave a lasting impression on listeners.
For artists already creating cohesive visual campaigns across streaming services and social media, YouTube Music’s latest test is another reminder that artwork is no longer just a thumbnail, it’s becoming part of the listening experience itself.
As platforms continue investing in richer visual experiences, independent artists who pair great music with eye-catching artwork are likely to stand out more consistently across services.
Get your music onto YouTube Music
Whether this redesign launches widely or evolves further, YouTube Music continues to invest in improving the listening experience.
With RouteNote, you can distribute your music to YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and many more streaming platforms from a single upload. That means your latest release, and the artwork that represents it, is ready wherever fans choose to listen.